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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: board · track · capital · calf · wake · object · wound · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — to keep track
  4. net — for catching
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. object — a thing
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. capital — money
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. object — an aim
  17. track — a song
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. track — a path
  20. object — to protest
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wound — an injury

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