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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — a lid
  16. land — ground
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bound — certain

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