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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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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: lash · chair · root · trunk · date · scale · pound · patient

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. scale — in music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. chair — a leader
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. root — the cause
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — size or range
  21. date — the fruit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — of a plant
  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