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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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 — of a plant
  3. court — of a king
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — of law
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — to crush
  24. court — for sport

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