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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · chip · lash · rock · row · branch · bulb · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — the cause
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rock — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. root — of a word
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. root — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rock — a stone
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chip — for betting

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