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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 120 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: suit · bulb · tear · current · mug · lash · leaves · bat

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. current — of water
  15. bulb — for light
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bulb — of a plant

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