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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a friend
  3. face — to confront
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to point toward
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — a partner
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — to turn a key

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