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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: wake · root · degree · wound · squash · arm · cell · lash

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a word
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — a phone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. squash — to crush
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. degree — an amount
  23. root — the cause
  24. cell — in biology

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