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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — farmland
  3. can — a tin
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a document
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — the cause
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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