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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: hide · cold · root · row · face · coach · date · kick

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — to point toward
  8. root — the cause
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — of a word
  21. cold — an illness
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — not warm

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