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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. root — the cause
  4. board — to get on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — rain
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — to wash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a committee
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. root — of a word

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