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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: pitch · net · bank · racket · wax · wound · jam · snap

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — after costs
  4. bank — for money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to click
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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