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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: wound · can · wax · rock · cell · root · face · spring

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. face — part of the head
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — of water
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to confront
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cell — in biology
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. can — a tin

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