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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. firm — a company
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stem — to come from
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. firm — decided
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. face — to confront
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. snap — to click
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. face — to point toward

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