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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: mark · wake · season · face · ground · stem

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. season — of the year
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — part of the head
  9. season — in sport
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. ground — a position

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