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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: root · season · lash · arm · wake · drill · tear · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — the cause
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a word
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rest — what's left

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