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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. root — of a word
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. race — a contest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ground — crushed
  8. swing — music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — the earth
  17. race — humankind
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ground — a position
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. swing — in golf
  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