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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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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: fan · rush · dip · net · bark · date · current · toast

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. toast — bread
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. current — of water
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fan — a supporter

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