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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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