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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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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: face · present · pit · stick · snap · spring · march · stem

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. march — the month
  9. present — the time now
  10. pit — in a race
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — there
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spring — the season
  21. present — a gift
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a hole

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