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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: bore · trunk · patient · season · rash · root · face · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. root — the cause
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. root — of a word
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — hasty
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rash — a series
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — 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