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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. current — of water
  9. root — of a word
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. degree — from a university
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — an amount
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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