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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rest — what's left
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rest — a break
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rest — what's left

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