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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: club · dip · land · chair · prune · current · rush · net

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — a group
  3. net — for catching
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — to come down
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. land — a country
  14. net — in sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. current — happening now
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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