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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · face · rash · snap · current · chest · dip · clip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. current — electric
  3. face — part of the head
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — for paper
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — to confront
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rash — a series
  21. chest — of your body
  22. clip — a video
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — happening now

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