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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: wound · bank · net · sharp · arm · current · hand · can

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — of water
  8. bank — of a river
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wound — an injury
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. net — in sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. current — happening now
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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