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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: stick · chest · cap · perch · face · root · cabinet · chip

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a word
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — for a bird

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