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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: face · wake · mine · squash · band · root · stick · cap

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — a trail
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. band — a music group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — the cause
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a ring
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cap — a lid

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