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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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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: bay · spring · root · shower · board · face · date · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — to get on
  4. deal — to handle
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — of water
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. board — a committee
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — the season
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — of a word

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