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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. root — of a word
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rash — a series
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — in sport
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. root — the cause
  24. lash — an eyelash

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