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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: saw · cue · cap · stem · face · wind · field · temple

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. face — to confront
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stem — to come from
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cue — a signal

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