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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.

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: staff · wake · perch · spell · land · leaves · face · rest

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spell — magic
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — a break
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. face — to point toward
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — part of the head

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