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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: face · game · pop · root · foot · leaves · last · wound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. last — to go on
  4. pop — music
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — the cause
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pop — to visit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to point toward
  24. foot — the bottom

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