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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — part of the head
  11. degree — from a university
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. root — the cause
  15. toast — bread
  16. face — to confront
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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