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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mate — a friend
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — part of the head
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the fish
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — low music
  21. face — to confront
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. game — wild animals
  24. face — to point toward

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