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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: net · current · land · jam · rock · object · wound · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. squash — to crush
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. object — a thing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — to come down
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — electric
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — an aim
  22. land — ground
  23. object — to protest
  24. rock — a stone

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