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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: stick · race · bound · row · root · kick · lash · squash

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — certain
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. race — humankind
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. root — of a word
  22. squash — the sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kick — in football

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