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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: face · spell · bulb · land · current · net · swing · wound

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. current — happening now
  3. land — ground
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. land — a country
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — magic
  13. swing — music
  14. net — in sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — for catching
  20. current — of water
  21. land — to come down
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — for light

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