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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: file · fork · face · net · current · row · rock · wind

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. face — to confront
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — in sport
  12. row — a line
  13. net — for catching
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rock — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. current — of water
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — part of the head

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