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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: hand · net · safe · fall · wave · saw · stock · march

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. march — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stock — goods
  17. net — for catching
  18. stock — shares
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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