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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.

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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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 — to lash out
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rush — hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — for weighing
  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