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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. root — the cause
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. file — a tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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