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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · snap · rock · trunk · march · wave · net · hand

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. snap — to click
  5. field — for sport
  6. march — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — help
  11. field — farmland
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rock — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. net — after costs

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