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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: craft · sharp · root · season · coach · ruler · tube · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — of a word
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — a container
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. season — in sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. root — the cause
  24. ruler — for measuring

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