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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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Word bank
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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 · face · arm · date · wound · court

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — of a king
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — of law
  18. date — on the calendar

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