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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. current — of water
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. object — an aim
  8. season — in sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. object — a thing
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. ground — a position
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — to add flavour

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