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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: rest · root · wound · calf · band · pit · lash · rule

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rest — a break
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — government
  6. band — a music group
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — a law
  10. root — of a word
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — the cause
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — a hole
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — an eyelash

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