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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stem — to come from
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. row — a line
  23. snap — to click
  24. row — to paddle

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