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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — farmland
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. root — of a word
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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