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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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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: face · spell · content · straw · bay · nail · bore · root

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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 confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. root — the cause
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — of a word
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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