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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. club — for golf
  5. lean — thin
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. face — to point toward
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stem — to come from
  15. land — ground
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. toast — bread
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. scale — size or range
  22. club — for dancing
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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