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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: lash · cell · current · race · row · pit · tube · wake

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. tube — a container
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. race — the arms race
  9. current — of water
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. row — a line
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. race — a contest
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. row — to paddle
  24. race — humankind

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