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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — in sport
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. season — of the year
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bore — to tire

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