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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: clip · mark · root · row · field · board · jam · lash

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. board — to get on
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. field — for sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — a video
  19. board — a committee
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. root — of a word
  22. field — a subject
  23. mark — a grade
  24. root — the cause

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