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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: last · deal · bowl · rash · bay · stem · rest · face

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — part of the head
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — to go on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rest — a break
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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