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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: wake · lash · object · cold · root · hide · kid · board

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. object — to protest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. object — an aim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. root — of a plant
  15. object — a thing
  16. kid — child
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. root — the cause
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hide — animal skin

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