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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — shares
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. firm — a company
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spring — the season
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — goods
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. firm — decided
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a word
  24. spring — a coil

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