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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — a country
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — ground
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — a skill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. craft — boats
  23. track — to keep track
  24. face — to confront

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