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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · wave · lash · ball · land · racket · march · root

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. land — a country
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — music
  6. land — ground
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. root — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. march — the month
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. root — the cause
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. racket — a loud noise

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