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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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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: stick · stand · lash · deal · coach · root · date · cold

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stand — to bear
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. date — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. root — of a word
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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