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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 120 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: rush · chest · bear · root · pit · lean · capital · lash

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. root — of a word
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — a box
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. capital — a city
  19. chest — of your body
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lean — thin
  23. rush — hurry
  24. capital — money

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