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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 116 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: wake · kick · file · root · lean · prune · face · ruler

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. root — of a word
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — thin
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. file — a tool
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. root — the cause
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. face — part of the head
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ruler — for measuring

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