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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. root — of a word
  7. rush — hurry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. root — the cause
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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