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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 116 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
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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: face · cell · squash · can · key · stem · cold · mug

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in biology
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — to crush
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mug — a cup
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mug — a face
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. key — in music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — to rob
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — to come from
  24. can — to be able to

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