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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · fork · nail · current · fall · straw · leaves

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. net — in sport
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — for catching
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. current — happening now

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