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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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Word bank
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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: march · lash · roll · root · spring · lie · wound · pop

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. root — of a plant
  9. march — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — soda
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. spring — of water
  20. lie — to recline
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pop — music

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