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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a ring
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to confront
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. game — wild animals
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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