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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: sharp · face · root · cabinet · date · fall · band · drill

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — clever
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. date — the fruit
  9. face — to confront
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. root — the cause
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — a practice
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — army training
  21. band — a ring
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a plant
  24. face — part 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