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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. root — the cause
  3. face — part of the head
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. march — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — certain
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bound — obliged
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. face — to confront
  24. drill — army training

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