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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: current · cell · cold · calf · ground · deal · march · lash

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cold — an illness
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — of water
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. current — happening now
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. deal — to handle
  23. current — electric
  24. ground — crushed

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