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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. face — to confront
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fall — the season
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. trunk — of a car

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