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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: face · root · prune · content · kick · scale · wind · bore

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to confront
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — to tire
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. root — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. content — happy
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to drill

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