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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: degree · lash · bark · tube · spring · wave · land · current

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spring — of water
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — temperature
  10. current — happening now
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — a container
  17. land — to come down
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — the season
  23. degree — from a university
  24. tube — in a tire

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