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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — to push
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a word
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chest — a box
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — to put up with

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