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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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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: hand · march · lash · last · lean · game · snap · root

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lean — thin
  15. root — of a word
  16. last — final
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — a match
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. snap — to click
  22. root — the cause
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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