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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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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: lash · root · squash · file · mine · bass · tear · net

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — to crush
  6. net — in sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — for catching
  22. file — a line of people
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — of a word

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