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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 120 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: lash · pitcher · current · degree · pit · tube · hand · rush

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — help
  13. tube — a container
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. current — electric
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. current — happening now

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