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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — the cause
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rest — a break
  15. lean — to bend
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. board — a committee
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — part of the head

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