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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: rest · firm · hide · lash · rule · trunk · wound · root

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. root — of a word
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rule — government
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rest — a break
  8. wound — an injury
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — the cause
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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