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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — a coil
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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