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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. current — happening now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — of water
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. current — electric
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. scale — for weighing

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