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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: charge · stand · spring · degree · wake · bark · stem · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — to shout
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — an amount
  12. charge — a price
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — to confront
  23. stand — on your feet
  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