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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.

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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 · fall · saw · perch · toast · root · patient · plane

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. fall — the season
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — the fish
  9. toast — bread
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. root — the cause
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. face — to point toward

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