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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · racket · current · tube · bound · mine · object · lash

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. object — to protest
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — a container
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — an aim

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