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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: current · file · lash · rash · spring · nail · bowl · bark

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. file — a tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — the season
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spring — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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