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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. current — electric
  3. hand — help
  4. squash — the sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — to rob
  16. current — of water
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stand — to bear
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mug — a cup
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mug — a face

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