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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 · fall · firm · date · club · cap · object · net

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. object — to protest
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for dancing
  9. firm — steady
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — for golf
  16. object — an aim
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. object — a thing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fall — the season

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