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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: face · cold · rest · shower · stand · stem · wake · degree

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cold — an illness
  9. shower — rain
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stand — to bear
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rest — what's left

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