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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · face · board · rash · wake · stem · hide · tear

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — to get on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. can — a tin

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