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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: stem · foot · fall · face · rash · stand · cell · bear

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — a series
  5. face — to confront
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fall — the season
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — to drop

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