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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. swing — in golf
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. swing — to play on
  14. net — after costs
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — for catching
  18. swing — music

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