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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 120 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: perch · straw · lie · land · face · bay · spring · stem

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. land — to come down
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. land — a country
  16. lie — to recline
  17. land — ground
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — the season
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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