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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: wake · perch · mate · spring · rest · court · lash · root

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of a king
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. root — of a plant
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — a coil
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — for sport
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — of water
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — the cause
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. root — of a word
  24. mate — a partner

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