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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 120 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: rule · root · face · spring · bear · kick · mouse · content

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. root — the cause
  6. face — to confront
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to point toward
  16. root — of a word
  17. content — happy
  18. spring — of water
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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