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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — electric
  11. key — in music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. current — of water
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — a division
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. current — happening now

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