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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: wake · net · ruler · nail · field · stick · hide · object

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. object — an aim
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — a thing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — a trail
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — a subject
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — after costs

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