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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a music group
  3. face — to point toward
  4. race — humankind
  5. stem — to come from
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — ground
  16. face — to confront
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. race — a contest
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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