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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: lean · kid · lash · hand · chip · current · wake · stick

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. current — electric
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kid — child
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. current — happening now
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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