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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. root — of a word
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stock — shares
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — goods
  24. date — the fruit

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