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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: club · face · current · bowl · stem · date · snap · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. current — electric
  12. mine — for digging
  13. date — the fruit
  14. current — of water
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. club — for dancing
  20. face — to confront
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. club — a group
  23. current — happening now
  24. snap — to click

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