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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. root — of a word
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — child
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pop — to visit
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a ring

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