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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 124 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. drill — a practice
  9. current — electric
  10. ground — crushed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — the underground
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. current — of water

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