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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: perch · lie · charge · wake · fan · root · hand · face

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. charge — a price
  19. perch — the fish
  20. face — to confront
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — a trail

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