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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: stem · rash · wave · cabinet · face · safe · stick · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — to breed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. face — to confront
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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