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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · wound · current · chest · tear · wax · pass · rash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. net — after costs
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — happening now
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — a box
  18. current — electric
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to spend time

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