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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. club — for golf
  3. file — a tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. club — for dancing
  6. degree — an amount
  7. root — of a plant
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — a group
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — temperature
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. staff — a stick
  24. racket — for tennis

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