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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — a country
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — of the year
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — ground
  19. pass — a permit
  20. land — to come down
  21. season — in sport
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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