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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. face — to point toward
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — the cause
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. club — for golf
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bound — certain
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — help

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