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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. current — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — electric
  13. date — the fruit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. current — happening now
  24. lash — to lash out

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