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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — to confront
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — in biology
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cell — a phone

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