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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: chair · club · dip · face · stem · toast · track · saw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. chair — a leader
  3. track — a song
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — to confront
  12. club — for golf
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for dancing
  24. dip — to sink

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