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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: hide · firm · root · stick · hand · face · stand · cold

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. face — part of the head
  3. firm — decided
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. root — the cause
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stand — to bear
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — an illness
  14. firm — a company
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — to confront
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — help
  24. stand — for spectators

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