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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: kid · spell · lie · net · current · dip · rash · bulb

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — a series
  3. current — happening now
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bulb — for light
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — for catching
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — magic
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spell — a short time
  21. current — electric
  22. net — in sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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