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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: stem · court · track · mug · face · swing · scale · cold

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. David sat on 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. stem — of a plant
  2. face — to confront
  3. mug — a face
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mug — to rob
  6. swing — in golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cold — an illness
  9. swing — music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a song
  13. court — of law
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — in music
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — a path
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. court — for sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. court — of a king
  23. swing — to play on
  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