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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. current — electric
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — part of the body

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