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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — to point toward
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bark — to shout
  5. face — part of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — the cause
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. mate — a friend
  15. face — to confront
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — steady
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — to breed
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. temple — side of the head

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