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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: stick · bat · chair · face · bear · fall · stem · mug

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. face — to confront
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fall — the season
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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