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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: current · racket · rash · net · degree · face · wound · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. current — happening now
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. current — electric
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bank — for money
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — from a university
  24. racket — for tennis

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