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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: face · pitcher · plane · deal · game · foot · spring · root

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. root — of a word
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — wild animals
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — of water
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a match
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — part of the head
  22. deal — to handle
  23. face — to point toward
  24. foot — part of the body

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