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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 · prune · spell · root · pop · game · bore · pass

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spell — magic
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — soda
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a match
  15. root — the cause
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. face — to confront
  19. root — of a plant
  20. game — wild animals
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pass — a permit
  24. root — of a word

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