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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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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: coach · root · fan · tear · swing · racket · face · lash

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. face — to point toward
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — of a word
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tear — to rip
  17. swing — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — part of the head

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