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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: bass · dip · fall · mine · row · lash · vault · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. vault — a safe
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — to drop
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. row — a line
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mine — for digging
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — the season

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