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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: game · face · temple · hand · root · wound · track · lean

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. track — a path
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — help
  19. face — to confront
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a match
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — thin

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