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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. current — of water
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — the season
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spring — of water
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — electric
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — a stone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. trunk — of a car

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