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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 116 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: wound · sharp · net · kid · rash · plane · bank · pound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bank — for money
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rash — a series
  16. plane — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bank — of a river
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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