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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. last — finally
  14. game — wild animals
  15. last — to go on
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — to come from
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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