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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · stem · race · present · face · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. face — to confront
  5. rash — a series
  6. race — humankind
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. present — there
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rash — hasty
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — a stem cell

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