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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. roll — a cake
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — of a word
  5. wind — moving air
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bore — to drill
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mate — a friend
  19. roll — a list
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — to confront
  23. mate — to breed
  24. root — the cause

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