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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: leaves · rash · ground · mark · root · cold · face · hide

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ground — the earth
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — the cause
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — of a word
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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