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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. root — of a word
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — the cause
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — of water
  20. shower — rain
  21. staff — employees
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — the season

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