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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: fork · club · spring · rash · mate · lie · lash · current

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — of water
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. club — a group
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. lie — to recline
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. fork — a garden tool

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