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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: rush · net · fan · clip · current · present · bay · bark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — electric
  10. present — a gift
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. present — the time now
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. present — there
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — for paper

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