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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: wake · pit · tube · cabinet · object · mug · craft · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — an aim
  5. mug — a face
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — boats
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. net — in sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — in a race
  16. object — to protest
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. net — for catching
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — a container
  24. object — a thing

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