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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: wake · mug · file · lash · current · spring · pound · bass

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. mug — to rob
  14. current — happening now
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — low music
  24. mug — a cup

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