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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 120 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 · wound · rest · bulb · mark · bat · nail · lash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — what's left
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — a break
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — a grade

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