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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 116 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: hide · net · rush · rash · fork · perch · current · pop

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — happening now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pop — music
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. current — of water
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — in sport

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