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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — the cause
  6. swing — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — to play on
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — steady
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. swing — in golf
  17. firm — a company
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — the time now
  20. root — of a word
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — an illness

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