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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: mate · lean · lash · root · press · club · wake · spring

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. root — of a word
  3. lean — to bend
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. press — to push
  11. root — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to rest against

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