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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 120 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: land · prune · board · root · spell · file · season · face

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — the cause
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — to confront
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. land — a country
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. root — of a word
  16. face — to point toward
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. root — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — a short time

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