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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 120 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: can · row · plane · fall · bore · spell · net · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spell — letters
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to drill
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — in geometry

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