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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.

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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: hide · coach · rest · face · stem · cap · stick · fan

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. face — to confront

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