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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. face — to confront
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. branch — a division
  11. rule — government
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — happy
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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