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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 · staff · date · rush · mate · row · net · stem

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — to come from
  9. row — a line
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. row — to paddle
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — to breed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to confront

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