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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: rush · current · bay · clip · tube · lash · shower · craft

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. craft — boats
  8. current — of water
  9. clip — for paper
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. shower — rain
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. craft — a skill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rush — to hurry

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