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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: face · wake · safe · plane · cold · rule · stem · fall

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — government
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cold — an illness
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wake — a trail
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. face — to confront
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. face — part of the head

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