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

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. can — a tin
  6. root — of a plant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. root — of a word
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — the cause
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — a practice
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bear — to put up with

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