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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: patient · face · root · arm · fall · fan · mine · lash

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. root — the cause
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. root — of a word
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. face — to point toward
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fall — the season

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