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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. march — music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — to shout
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — to bend
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lean — thin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lie — to recline
  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