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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · stem · face · arm · temple · drill · fan · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — the tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. drill — army training
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a path
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — to point toward

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