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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bore — to tire
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — thin

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