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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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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: trunk · stem · pitch · march · tear · bore · temple · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — to confront
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bore — to tire
  24. march — the month

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