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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — finally
  4. current — happening now
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. current — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — electric
  21. last — final
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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