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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.

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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: row · pass · field · hand · face · root · rash · rush

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — farmland
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — the cause
  11. field — for sport
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. face — to confront
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. row — a line
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hand — in cards

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