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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: tear · toast · squash · lie · patient · root · face · bound

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bound — tied together
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — of a word
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. squash — to crush
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — to rip
  22. toast — bread
  23. squash — the sport
  24. root — of a plant

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