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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: lash · suit · field · root · chest · racket · temple · rule

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rule — government
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chest — a box
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rule — a law
  23. field — a subject
  24. suit — to fit

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