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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: mark · bore · firm · band · wake · face · root · spring

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spring — of water
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — to drill
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. firm — a company
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a ring
  20. firm — steady
  21. root — of a word
  22. band — a music group
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — to pay attention

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