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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. current — electric
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — ground
  7. lean — to bend
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. net — after costs
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a line
  16. object — an aim
  17. file — a document
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. object — a thing
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. object — to protest

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