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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 120 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
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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: land · shower · present · face · root · current · rest · plane

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — of water
  10. face — part of the head
  11. root — the cause
  12. land — ground
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — a break
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — to confront
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. shower — rain
  23. present — there
  24. plane — in geometry

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