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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. hand — help
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. root — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. root — the cause
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — ground
  16. can — a tin
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. land — a country
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bark — to shout

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