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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rush — hurry
  6. snap — to click
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. mark — a grade
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. present — the time now
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — a trace
  17. present — there
  18. face — to confront
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. face — part of the head
  21. root — the cause
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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