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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. file — a tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — money
  20. current — of water
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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