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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 120 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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fork — in a road
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. chest — a box
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — a break
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bank — for money
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — to point toward
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — of a plant

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