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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: lash · plane · bat · squash · jam · object · spring · current

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. current — of water
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. object — to protest
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. object — a thing
  18. current — happening now
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. plane — an aircraft

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