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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · root · deal · charge · cold · lash · spring · hand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cold — not warm
  10. spring — the season
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cold — an illness
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — a price
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — to lash out

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