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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. root — of a plant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. board — a committee
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. board — to get on
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. band — a ring

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