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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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Word bank
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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: can · root · bear · wake · last · court · lash · cold

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — of a king
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — final
  20. court — of law
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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