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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.

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: face · root · scale · season · stem · perch · land · bulb

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — to come down
  5. root — of a word
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. season — of the year
  21. scale — size or range
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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