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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — to confront
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. race — humankind
  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