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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: perch · root · pop · stick · tear · lash · sharp · file

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a document
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — the fish
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — to rip
  21. root — the cause
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — of a word

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