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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: pound · root · lie · lash · straw · patient · pitcher · arm

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — a weight
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. root — the cause
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lash — to lash out

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