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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — a price
  3. present — the time now
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. charge — electricity
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. present — there
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — child
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — a gift
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — in a prison

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