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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spring — the season
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. land — to come down
  19. current — electric
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. current — of water
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spring — a coil
  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