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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. row — a line
  7. club — a group
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mug — to rob
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — to bear
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. club — for dancing
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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