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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: root · date · face · cell · wound · lie · arm · spell

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. cell — in biology
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — letters
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — the cause
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spell — magic
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — part of the head
  24. root — of a word

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