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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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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: kid · face · root · lie · key · prune · mate · spell

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — to trim
  6. key — the most important part
  7. root — of a word
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kid — child
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — magic
  15. kid — to tease
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. root — the cause
  19. mate — a partner
  20. key — in music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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