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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 · mouse · prune · capital · chair · root · lash · rash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a city
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mouse — for a computer

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