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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.

Make a worksheet

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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. clip — for paper
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. season — of the year
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — the cause
  15. clip — to cut
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. root — of a word

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