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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — for golf
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pop — soda
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. club — a group
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. band — a music group
  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