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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: kick · stem · face · tear · hide · cap

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — of ice
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — in football
  18. stem — of a plant

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