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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — music
  6. craft — boats
  7. root — of a word
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — the month
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stem — to come from
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a skill

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