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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: fan · chip · face · mine · race · root · content · prune

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. content — the amount
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — the arms race
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. content — happy
  14. race — a contest
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to confront
  21. root — the cause
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — for digging
  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