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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: bay · degree · face · rock · branch · wound · stick · root

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — the cause
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. root — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. root — of a word
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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