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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · drill · racket · present · object · bat · face · hand

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. present — there
  8. drill — army training
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — part of the head
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. face — to confront
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. present — a gift
  22. face — to point toward
  23. object — a thing
  24. hand — help

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