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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rule — government
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to sink
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — final

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