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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spring — of water
  3. file — a line of people
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. current — happening now
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wind — moving air
  14. file — a tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. club — a group
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — to sink
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a document

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