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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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468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — the cause
  21. swing — music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pass — to succeed

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