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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. root — the cause
  9. pop — to visit
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. face — part of the head
  12. root — of a plant
  13. degree — from a university
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — an amount
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bank — for money
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chip — in a computer

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