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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: wound · toast · pass · rock · safe · root · wind · lash

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. root — of a word
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. root — the cause
  23. rock — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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