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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — ground
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — a box
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kid — child
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to click
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — a country
  21. root — the cause
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chest — of your body

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