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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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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: stick · stem · race · bear · drill · scale · court · face

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to confront
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. drill — a practice
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. scale — size or range
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. race — humankind
  21. face — to point toward
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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