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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — to eat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to point toward
  11. snap — to click
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to confront
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mug — a face
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  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