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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. root — the cause
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — in sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. row — a line
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pit — a hole

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