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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: plane · bark · lash · tear · staff · sharp · pass · root

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. root — the cause
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a word
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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