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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — to confront
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. land — to come down
  22. face — part of the head
  23. date — the fruit
  24. land — ground

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