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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: face · court · straw · rash · fall · land · can · stem

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. court — of law
  4. land — a country
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — hasty
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. land — ground
  15. court — of a king
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to confront
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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