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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: nail · lash · lean · bass · current · bat · date · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — electric
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. net — after costs
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. current — happening now
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — of water
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. net — for catching
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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