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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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468
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: wound · racket · field · bore · net · pound · fall · rush

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fall — the season
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pound — a weight
  5. net — for catching
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — farmland
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — a subject

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