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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: bass · root · hide · date · prune · lash · pass · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bass — low music
  5. root — the cause
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — of a word
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hide — animal skin
  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