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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stock — shares
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — goods
  15. pit — a hole
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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