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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: stick · lean · face · band · content · staff · stem · snap

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. content — happy
  7. band — a music group
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lean — thin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stem — to come from

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