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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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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: spring · wake · leaves · bear · chest · stem · face · hand

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — a box
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. face — to confront
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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