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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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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: wave · face · cue · lie · stick · stem · hide · fall

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cue — for pool
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fall — the season
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stem — to come from
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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