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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: bark · march · tube · face · root · fall · cabinet · nail

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. root — of a word
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. root — the cause
  14. face — to confront
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tube — the underground
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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