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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: march · spell · object · mate · stem · face · fan · trunk

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — a friend
  5. face — to confront
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. object — an aim
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — a supporter

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