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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. trunk — of a tree

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