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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: pitcher · stem · bear · face · present · race · wound · lash

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. present — the time now
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — a contest
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — a gift
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. face — to confront
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — there

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