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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: bound · pass · face · last · straw · stem · degree · swing

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. degree — an amount
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. degree — from a university
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. swing — music
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. degree — temperature

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