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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: stem · staff · race · face · sharp · temple · fall · lash

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — a contest
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. staff — a stick
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. race — humankind

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