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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — to go on
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bound — tied together
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. craft — boats
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pop — to visit
  16. last — final
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. roll — a list
  22. craft — a skill
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stem — to come from

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