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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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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: fork · stick · cell · lash · current · bulb · calf · cold

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cold — not warm
  3. current — electric
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cell — a phone
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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