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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — of a word
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — a box
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bank — for money
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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