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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — goods
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — the season
  7. stock — shares
  8. land — ground
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — a country
  18. current — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — of water

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