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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
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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: face · kid · squash · stem · mark · leaves · sharp · wound

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — child
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — to crush
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stem — to come from
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mark — a grade
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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