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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: wound · lash · season · pop · chest · board · sharp · root

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — to get on
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. board — a committee
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pop — to visit
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — a flat piece

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