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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. root — the cause
  14. board — a committee
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. season — in sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — to get on
  24. bore — to drill

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