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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: band · root · hide · spell · present · track · chest · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. root — of a word
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. root — the cause
  21. chest — a box
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — magic
  24. present — there

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