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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: ruler · rush · bear · drill · bat · rest · face · stem

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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