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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. current — electric
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — a division
  8. season — in sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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