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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. file — a document
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. root — of a plant

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