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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: spell · chest · lash · root · net · snap · foot · pop

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. spell — letters
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. root — the cause
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chest — a box
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chest — of your body
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pop — music
  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