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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: pound · land · patient · face · root · row · present · bay

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. row — to paddle
  3. land — to come down
  4. root — the cause
  5. present — a gift
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. land — a country
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a word
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — a line
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — of a plant

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