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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. land — ground
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — a tin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. current — electric
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — happening now
  16. spring — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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