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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spring — of water
  11. land — ground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. root — the cause
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. face — to confront
  18. mark — a trace
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a word
  24. rest — a break

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