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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: rest · net · mine · cap · fall · mug · root · lash

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. net — in sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — a face
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. root — the cause
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — the season
  15. root — of a word
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cap — a lid
  24. net — after costs

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