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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: rest · drill · root · lash · date · bear · file · wind

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — a break
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rest — what's left
  7. root — of a word
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a document
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. rest — what's left
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. drill — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a line of people

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