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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. row — a line
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. root — the cause
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a word
  22. rash — a series
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. sharp — with an edge

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