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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. net — after costs
  6. file — a tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. root — of a word
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. net — for catching
  19. pit — a hole
  20. root — the cause
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — hasty
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — a stem cell

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