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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stem — to come from
  18. face — to confront
  19. bank — of a river
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. face — part of the head
  23. scale — in music
  24. last — finally

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