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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 120 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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. root — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

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