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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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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: rest · net · sharp · saw · mark · wound · current · tear

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — electric
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — clever
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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