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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 120 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
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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: hand · face · root · mine · bass · field · perch · squash

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — help
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mine — an explosive

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