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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. face — to confront
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. club — for golf
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. net — in sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — after costs
  14. board — to get on
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — for catching
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — a committee
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. face — part of the head

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