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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: date · craft · face · object · stem · fall · drill · tube

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — to confront
  4. fall — to drop
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — boats
  23. stem — to come from
  24. object — to protest

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