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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. face — part of the head
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — in football
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — hasty
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. root — the cause

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