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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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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: bear · squash · lash · cell · game · mate · racket · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — a partner
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. game — a match
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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