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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.

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: wound · fan · land · root · season · snap · safe · lash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — ground
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — of a word
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — out of danger

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