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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. plane — a tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — not warm
  10. face — to point toward
  11. current — electric
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — to visit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. current — of water
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pop — music
  23. wind — moving air
  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