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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. root — of a word
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — to come down
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — the cause

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