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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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 confront
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pop — soda
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mouse — for a computer

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