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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: pound · net · club · cell · wave · plane

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. plane — a tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. pound — a weight
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. plane — in geometry

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