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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 · tube · mate · wake · stand · wound · jam · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — in sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — a friend
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. wound — an injury

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