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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — a country
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — an amount
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  24. dip — to dunk

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