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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. file — a tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — help
  18. file — a document
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — magic
  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