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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: mark · season · wound · leaves · wake · fine · net · mug

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — all right
  13. mug — a cup
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — high quality
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mug — a face
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. season — in sport

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