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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. current — of water
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. root — of a word
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — hasty
  13. current — electric
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — happening now
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — the cause
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — to lash out

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