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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: race · pitcher · field · wave · root · wake · hide · lash

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — a trail
  7. root — of a word
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — a contest
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. race — humankind
  21. field — a subject
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — the arms race

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