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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: root · dip · season · game · bore · wax · pitch · face

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. face — part of the head
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — to confront
  7. root — of a word
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — to sink
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to tire
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — completely

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