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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bank — for money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cell — in biology
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — for money
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — a match
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lean — to bend
  24. face — to point toward

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