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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 120 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: spell · fall · wind · mark · wake · stem · face · lie

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fall — the season
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — letters
  24. lie — to recline

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