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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: rash · rest · stand · stem · tube · face · kid · arm

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rash — a series
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — child
  24. stem — to come from

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