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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: foot · bulb · current · dip · net · stick · bass · wound

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. current — happening now
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. current — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. net — in sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — low music
  12. current — electric
  13. net — after costs
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — for catching
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bulb — for light

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