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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 120 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: perch · file · pound · fan · spell · current · net · swing

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — after costs
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. file — a document
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. current — electric
  13. file — a line of people
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pound — a weight
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a tool
  24. current — happening now

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