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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a music group
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stem — to come from
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a grade
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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