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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 120 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: foot · kid · leaves · fork · current · tube · march · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — of water
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kid — child
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — happening now
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. march — music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — a container
  24. current — electric

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