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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: date · net · lash · sharp · current · roll · wave · chest

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — a box
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. current — happening now
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — for catching
  19. roll — a list
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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