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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: swing · present · fall · wake · kid · mug · net · plane

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — there
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — the season
  16. mug — a face
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — a tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. net — for catching
  24. kid — child

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