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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: tear · object · rule · content · plane · face · root · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. content — the amount
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a word
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. object — an aim
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — happy
  21. plane — a tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  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