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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: rash · dip · foot · spring · wound · wind · net · sharp

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — a measure
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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