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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 116 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: staff · field · kick · race · rock · root · lash · club

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rock — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — in football
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — for golf
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. club — a group
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — a stone

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