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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. field — farmland
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spell — letters
  7. root — of a plant
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — a subject
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. spell — magic
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — of a word

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