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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: dip · face · stem · bank · board · wake · lie · fall

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fall — the season
  3. stem — to come from
  4. board — a committee
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — for money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — to get on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lie — to recline
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — a stem cell

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