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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: rest · board · shower · face · root · object · bear · chair

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. root — the cause
  9. board — a committee
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rest — a break
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — rain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a word
  21. shower — to wash
  22. object — to protest
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — to confront

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