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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: leaves · chest · fork · lean · face · root · scale · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. face — to confront
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — a box
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lean — thin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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