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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. root — the cause
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. root — of a word
  5. branch — a division
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ball — a dance
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — to confront
  11. race — humankind
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — child
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. root — of a plant

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