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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 · pound · current · ground · foot · snap · wake · coach

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. foot — a measure
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — a trail
  18. current — of water
  19. pound — a weight
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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