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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.

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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: chip · leaves · tear · field · rush · foot · face · root

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. foot — a measure
  10. root — the cause
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. field — farmland
  23. root — of a word
  24. leaves — to go away

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