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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: nail · stick · lash · race · rock · ground · root · prune

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. race — a contest
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. race — the arms race
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rock — a stone
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — humankind
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. nail — for a hammer

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