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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: lash · prune · date · press · race · wave · root · firm

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. firm — decided
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. prune — to trim
  10. root — of a word
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — to push
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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