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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: root · cell · stem · bat · file · rest · lash · suit

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. file — a tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. suit — clothes
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a document
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in biology
  10. root — the cause
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — the animal

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