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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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468
Word bank
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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. root — of a plant
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — an amount
  8. face — part of the head
  9. root — of a word
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. degree — temperature
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — an illness
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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