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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: cap · mug · march · saw · rock · stick · face · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — part of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — a face
  10. face — to confront
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. march — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rock — a stone
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — music

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