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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: pit · stem · ground · mark · face · band · perch · kick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mark — a trace
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kick — in football
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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