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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
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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: root · craft · spell · face · mug · cap · field · cell

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. face — to confront
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mug — a face
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mug — to rob
  8. root — the cause
  9. spell — letters
  10. root — of a plant
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cap — a hat
  15. root — of a word
  16. craft — a skill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cap — a lid
  24. field — farmland

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