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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · face · temple · rock · drill · leaves · root · land

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a word
  5. drill — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — a practice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — army training
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. land — ground
  20. rock — music
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rock — a stone
  23. root — of a plant
  24. temple — side of the head

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