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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — of water
  8. face — to confront
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mate — to breed
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — to shout
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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