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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. root — the cause
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — to tease
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — the fish
  15. content — happy
  16. root — of a word
  17. kid — child
  18. content — the amount
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mine — an explosive

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