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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: cold · chest · bear · root · current · lash · bowl · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. current — happening now
  3. root — the cause
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cold — not warm
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — a box
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. current — of water
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. root — of a word
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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