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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: fall · pass · current · wave · spring · file · sharp · net

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. current — electric
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. file — a tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — of water
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — clever
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pass — to succeed

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