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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. current — of water
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — in sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tear — to rip
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. tear — from crying

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