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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: squash · net · jam · stick · field · kid · wake · bore

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. net — in sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — a subject
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. squash — to crush
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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