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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · plane · roll · bat · net · mug · current · rash

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — a series
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — in sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. rash — hasty
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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