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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 · bay · field · racket · root · tear · current · bound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — certain
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — a subject
  7. tear — to rip
  8. current — of water
  9. root — the cause
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. root — of a word
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — for sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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