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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. face — to confront
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stem — to come from
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bass — low music
  24. stand — for spectators

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