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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: toast · bay · roll · pop · stem · saw · face · net

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — to confront
  5. pop — music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. face — part of the head
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. toast — bread
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pop — to visit
  23. roll — a list
  24. stem — a stem cell

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