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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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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: bark · current · present · deal · ruler · lash · coach · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. current — happening now
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. present — there
  8. current — of water
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — electric
  21. present — a gift
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. coach — a trainer

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