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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. swing — to play on
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stem — to come from
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. swing — in golf
  17. snap — to click
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a song
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. leaves — of a tree

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