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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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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: bat · net · band · current · wind · deal · rest · spell

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. net — after costs
  6. spell — magic
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a music group
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — the animal
  20. current — electric
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. deal — a big deal

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