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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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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: stem · tear · snap · ground · face · fan · net · rock

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — for catching
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — a stone
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fan — a supporter

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