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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: trunk · lash · bowl · land · pitch · current · game · wind

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. current — of water
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. game — a match
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. current — happening now
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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