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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. root — of a word
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. last — finally
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. face — part of the head
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — to shout

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