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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 116 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 · rush · net · track · last · nail · wave · racket

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. track — a song
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. net — after costs
  13. track — a path
  14. last — to go on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — to keep track

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