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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: kid · rush · club · wound · net · season · lean · suit

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — in cards
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — thin
  11. kid — child
  12. club — a group
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to bend
  19. suit — to fit
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. club — for dancing
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — to tease

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