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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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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: wake · ground · wound · net · suit · wave · chest · land

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. land — ground
  3. suit — in cards
  4. net — after costs
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ground — crushed
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — a country
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chest — of your body
  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