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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — the cause
  7. scale — size or range
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. scale — in music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — a series

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