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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. root — of a plant
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. suit — in cards
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bound — tied together
  12. face — to confront
  13. suit — to fit
  14. root — of a word
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spell — letters
  20. root — the cause
  21. spell — magic
  22. bound — certain
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — to grow

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