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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: roll · wake · net · tear · pitcher · saw · firm · kid

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. roll — a list
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — decided
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — a company

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