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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. root — of a word
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — the cause
  14. bark — to shout
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. root — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a music group
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. leaves — lets stay

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