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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: stem · tear · face · stick · hide · scale

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — in music
  16. face — to confront
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tear — to rip

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