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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. hand — help
  19. root — of a word
  20. fall — the season
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. season — in sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — to add flavour

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