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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spring — the season
  6. press — to push
  7. rash — a series
  8. land — ground
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. root — of a plant
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. rash — hasty
  22. land — a country
  23. root — the cause
  24. rash — on the skin

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