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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. net — after costs
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stem — to come from
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. net — in sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com