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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: face · tear · trunk · sharp · spring · root · key · field

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — of water
  4. root — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — to rip
  11. face — to confront
  12. key — in music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — the season

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