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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: field · root · bulb · face · tear · cold · rash · rest

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — the cause
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — hasty
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — a series
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rest — a break
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. root — of a word
  23. face — to confront
  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