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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: root · spring · cold · arm · lash · toast · dip · march

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spring — a coil
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. march — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. toast — bread
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — the season
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. march — the month

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