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

Word bank: root · snap · face · pop · tear · chair · bulb · craft

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. craft — boats
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. root — the cause
  10. face — to confront
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to click
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pop — music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chair — a leader

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