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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: snap · track · net · craft · wake · wound · drill · game

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — a path
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. net — for catching
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — the tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. game — a match
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — army training
  19. craft — boats
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. drill — a practice
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. net — in sport

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