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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — electric
  4. bank — for money
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a tool
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bank — for money
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. current — of water
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — happening now
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in 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