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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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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: bear · cold · lean · cell · root · racket · perch · face

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — to confront
  12. root — of a word
  13. cold — not warm
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to point toward
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cold — an illness

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