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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. press — newspapers
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. press — to push
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pound — to hit hard

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