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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.

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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: fall · face · rash · stem · root · degree · drill · bear

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a word
  3. rash — hasty
  4. drill — a practice
  5. root — the cause
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — part of the head
  9. drill — army training
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — a series
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. degree — an amount
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — the season
  24. drill — the tool

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