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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. present — there
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a word
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tube — a container
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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