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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cue — a hint
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — farmland
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bound — obliged
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cue — for pool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cue — a signal

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