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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spring — of water
  3. face — to confront
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rock — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hand — help
  16. rest — a break
  17. rock — a stone
  18. root — of a word
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — in cards

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