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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: root · saw · rest · lean · face · staff · capital · tear

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — thin
  4. staff — a stick
  5. root — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — money
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — part of the head
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — a break
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a city
  24. lean — to rest against

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