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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 · mine · fan · land · pass · face · staff · fine

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fine — all right
  8. staff — employees
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to confront
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — to come down
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — employees

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