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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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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: last · net · bound · wake · mark · rush

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — certain
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — final
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — for catching
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. last — finally
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — to pay attention

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