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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. face — to confront
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stem — to come from
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stem — a stem cell

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