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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · net · kick · bark · fan · wake · track · pitcher

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — in football
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a song
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. net — for catching

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