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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — a path
  9. current — of water
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. band — a music group
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — to keep track
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. current — electric

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