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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · wind · spring · bulb · net · current · march · wound

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — music
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. current — electric
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — the season
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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