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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — the cause
  5. capital — a city
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — money
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — to lash out

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