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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: root · season · lash · tear · stick · straw · present · pit

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a word
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. root — the cause
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. present — a gift
  13. season — in sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — there
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pit — a hole
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pit — in a race
  24. root — of a plant

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