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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — the amount
  5. field — for sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — rain
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — farmland
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. field — a subject
  15. mug — to rob
  16. shower — to wash
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wake — before a funeral

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