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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 120 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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. root — of a word
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — to confront
  11. chip — to eat
  12. root — the cause
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chip — in a computer

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