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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a ring
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. root — the cause
  6. squash — to crush
  7. root — of a word
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. root — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — farmland
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport

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