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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — for light

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