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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: chair · fan · wind · snap · bear · ball · root · lash

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — the cause
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. root — of a word

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