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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a ring
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. current — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — happening now
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. root — the cause
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a music group
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. current — electric
  21. root — of a word
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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