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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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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: cell · root · pop · coach · bat · lash · spell · race

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. pop — music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spell — letters
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — the animal

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