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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spring — of water
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wake — a trail
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. firm — a company
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — rain
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — to wash
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. root — of a word
  24. spring — the season

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