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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: hide · wind · rash · face · stem · pound · date · current

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — electric
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rash — a series

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