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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: current · net · safe · plane · tear · row · patient · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. plane — a tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — electric
  15. tear — to rip
  16. current — happening now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. row — a line
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. net — for catching

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