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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — a stone
  6. file — a document
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a line of people
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. root — of a word
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rock — to move gently

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