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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: ground · pound · wake · pit · face · root · content · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. root — the cause
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pound — a weight
  12. face — to confront
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — happy
  16. root — of a word
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. content — the amount
  22. ground — the earth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — videos and posts

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