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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — a safe
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — a division
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. current — of water
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a city
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wind — moving air

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