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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: roll · season · bulb · perch · bat · root · clip · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. root — of a plant
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — a video
  7. roll — a list
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — of the year
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. face — part of the head
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a word
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — to cut
  22. roll — a cake
  23. clip — for paper
  24. roll — on a roll

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