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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: wave · temple · bank · file · mate · leaves · face · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. face — to confront
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. root — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wave — with your hand

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