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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: cold · scale · stem · date · tear · game · key · face

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — size or range
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. game — a match
  10. date — the fruit
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. key — for a lock
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — the most important part

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