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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: lash · ground · roll · root · fall · spring · bank · bat

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — the animal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — a position
  8. root — the cause
  9. bank — of a river
  10. spring — the season
  11. root — of a word
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fall — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. roll — a list
  24. fall — to drop

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