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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · hide · content · spring · land · root · face · perch

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — the amount
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — the season
  7. land — to come down
  8. root — of a word
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — a trace
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. land — ground
  14. content — happy
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mark — a grade
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — the fish
  24. content — videos and posts

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