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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: spring · hide · mate · fine · current · face · ground · stem

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — electric
  8. mate — a partner
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. spring — of water
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — a position
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fine — all right

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