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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: current · net · rash · file · prune · wound · drill · ground

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a document
  5. current — happening now
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — hasty

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