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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — ground
  6. net — after costs
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — a country
  9. can — to be able to
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — happening now
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bound — certain
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — electric
  21. lie — to recline
  22. net — for catching
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lie — an untruth

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