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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: club · chest · plane · bear · current · lash · field · wave

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. current — electric
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. field — farmland
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — a subject
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. club — a group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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