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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. object — to protest
  7. band — a music group
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. band — a ring
  11. toast — bread
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chest — a box
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — the cause
  22. object — an aim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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