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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · spring · lash · mug · prune · degree · rash

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spring — a coil
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. mug — a face
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — of water
  24. lash — to lash out

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