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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: roll · current · wave · chest · club · lash · present · toast

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. club — for golf
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. club — a group
  6. current — happening now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — a box
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. present — there
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. club — for dancing
  15. present — the time now
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. present — a gift
  21. roll — a list
  22. toast — bread
  23. current — electric
  24. chest — of your body

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