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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: deal · lash · net · stick · tear · board

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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