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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. face — to confront
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a committee
  9. rush — hurry
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. root — of a word
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — the amount
  16. root — the cause
  17. wax — to grow
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. board — to get on
  24. snap — to click

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