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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: face · stem · cue · patient · bore · board · chest · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. board — to get on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — a committee
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. face — to confront
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — to tire
  15. root — the cause
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — to point toward

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