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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — to paddle
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — the cause
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ground — the earth

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