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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
468
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: firm · kid · root · ground · bat · face · leaves · can

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — to confront
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. root — of a word
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. firm — steady
  11. root — the cause
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. can — a tin
  15. firm — a company
  16. root — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ground — a position
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ground — crushed
  24. leaves — of a tree

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