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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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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: content · cell · root · object · face · shower · bear · present

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. present — there
  5. object — to protest
  6. root — of a word
  7. object — an aim
  8. face — to point toward
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. object — a thing
  13. present — the time now
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. face — to confront
  19. present — a gift
  20. root — the cause
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in biology
  23. shower — to wash
  24. content — happy

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