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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — a series
  8. file — a line of people
  9. press — to push
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. file — a document
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — a box
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. file — a tool
  18. current — of water
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — for a bird

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