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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 · root · cue · march · cold · face · cabinet · rock

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cold — an illness
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. root — the cause
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rock — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. cold — not warm
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a plant

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