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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — final
  5. face — to confront
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pass — a permit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — to go on

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