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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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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 · dip · game · branch · root · pit · kid · wake

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. face — to point toward
  6. root — of a word
  7. game — a match
  8. face — to confront
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — a division
  12. root — the cause
  13. dip — to sink
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — in a race

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