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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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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: stem · stick · stand · cabinet · chest · game · face · mouse

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — to come from
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — a box
  15. face — to confront
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. game — a match
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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