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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: calf · bore · face · stem · wake · cold · jam · rule

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — to drill
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rule — government
  14. cold — an illness
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rule — a law
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. face — to confront
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. calf — of the leg

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