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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · chest · shower · root · land · squash · face · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — in sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chest — a box
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — to wash
  16. land — a country
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the sport
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to confront

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