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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 116 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: tear · chair · cell · bass · row · root · suit · lash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. root — the cause
  5. bass — low music
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — a line
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chair — a leader
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. suit — clothes
  18. root — of a word
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. root — of a plant
  22. suit — in cards
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chair — a professorship

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