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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 120 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: coach · bank · face · stem · hide · chest · kick · spring

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — to come from
  4. face — to confront
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bank — for money
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — of water
  18. bank — for money
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — in football
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — with a leg

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