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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. band — a music group
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. band — a ring
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — happening now
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — size or range
  23. current — of water
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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