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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stem — to come from
  3. scale — in music
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — a stone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — the season
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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