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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: last · present · race · tube · face · season · firm · root

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. face — to point toward
  3. last — finally
  4. firm — steady
  5. last — final
  6. tube — the underground
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. firm — decided
  11. root — of a word
  12. race — the arms race
  13. season — of the year
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. race — humankind
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — a contest
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. face — to confront
  24. present — a gift

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