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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: degree · fan · lie · jam · root · arm · race · lash

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — a contest
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — to recline
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — humankind
  13. root — of a word
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. root — the cause
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. degree — temperature
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — of a plant

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