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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · field · stem · pass · saw · tear · current · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. current — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. current — electric
  8. band — a ring
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — to confront
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stem — to come from
  17. current — happening now
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. tear — from crying

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