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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a ring
  12. tube — the underground
  13. current — electric
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. current — of water
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — a container

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