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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. branch — a division
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. current — of water
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. current — electric
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — an illness

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