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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — to confront
  3. root — of a word
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — a stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — from a university
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rock — music
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — to wash
  23. degree — an amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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