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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 116 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: plane · wax · dip · face · lie · row · season · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. row — a line
  5. face — part of the head
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lie — to recline
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. root — the cause
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — of the year
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wax — to grow

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