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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · lean · track · date · net · chest · band · lash

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — after costs
  4. track — a song
  5. net — for catching
  6. band — a ring
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — the cause
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. track — to keep track
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. band — a music group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lean — to bend
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. root — of a word

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