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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: squash · roll · stem · firm · wave · shower · land · face

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. roll — a cake
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — the sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — to crush
  17. land — to come down
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. firm — a company
  21. shower — to wash
  22. land — a country
  23. roll — on a roll
  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