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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — a trail
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. current — happening now
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. saw — the tool
  7. roll — a list
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. key — in music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — of water
  23. key — for a lock
  24. straw — dry grass

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