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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.

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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: rush · bark · fan · wound · net · stand · pitch · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — 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