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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.

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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: bound · stem · can · face · ground · pop · calf · rush

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — hurry
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pop — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. can — a tin

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