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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. net — for catching
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stem — a stem cell

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