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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: net · kick · ground · tube · deal · spell · wake · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ground — the earth
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — for catching
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kick — in football
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — a trail

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