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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: net · bass · object · wind · cabinet · wake · rash · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — hasty
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. object — to protest
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. sharp — with an edge

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