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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fork — in a road
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. march — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — of water
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — the month
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. root — the cause
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spring — the season

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