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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · nail · cell · land · lash · cold · current · content

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. current — of water
  4. land — to come down
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — a country
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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