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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. drill — army training
  5. season — in sport
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. root — the cause
  9. rash — a series
  10. root — of a word
  11. current — of water
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. face — to point toward
  16. can — to be able to
  17. current — electric
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — certain
  24. current — happening now

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