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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 120 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: root · lash · scale · rest · clip · ball · row · rule

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. row — to paddle
  3. root — of a word
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — size or range

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