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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: land · rock · bear · rash · net · current · dip · shower

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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. dip — to sink
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. rock — a stone
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. current — happening now
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rock — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. current — of water
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — ground

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