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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · chest · bore · root · squash · bank · wax · face

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — to grow
  20. root — of a word
  21. tear — to rip
  22. root — the cause
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chest — of your body

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