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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 116 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
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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: mine · lash · court · stem · face · tear · pop · fine

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. fine — all right
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pop — soda
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. tear — from crying
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — an explosive

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