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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — electric
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. current — happening now
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — there
  22. branch — a division
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

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