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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: net · tube · sharp · safe · ruler · wound · current · bass

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — happening now
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — a container
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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