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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pop — soda
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fall — the season
  13. pop — music
  14. club — a group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — a grade
  19. current — happening now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. club — for golf
  24. current — 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