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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. root — the cause
  4. game — wild animals
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — a series
  9. root — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rock — music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rash — hasty
  19. root — of a word
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. row — a line
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — a quarrel

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