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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: fine · swing · face · cell · firm · rule · stem · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fine — all right
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — a line
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. cell — in biology
  12. swing — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. firm — steady
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. firm — decided
  22. rule — government
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — in golf

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