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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 116 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: band · bark · root · rash · hand · fan · board · lash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — the cause
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. board — to get on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — in cards
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a music group
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. board — a committee

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