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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 116 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: mug · wind · straw · current · lash · chip · cap · dip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — happening now
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mug — a face
  14. current — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. current — electric
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. dip — to sink
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chip — for betting

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