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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: hand · tear · root · pitcher · lash · stock · temple · bulb

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — shares
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tear — to rip
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — goods
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — the cause
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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