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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 116 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: fall · stick · root · kid · ball · field · lash · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — for sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — the season
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. root — the cause
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — farmland
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — a subject
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. root — of a word
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a dance

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