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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: straw · current · net · rock · bear · rash · key · wake

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. current — electric
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rock — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. current — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — in music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — for catching
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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