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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 120 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: stem · degree · wound · club · temple · lie · foot · face

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. face — part of the head
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — for golf

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