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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — crushed
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. spring — a coil
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — to play on
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. face — to point toward

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