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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: hand · mark · net · band · suit · wound · current · deal

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. band — a ring
  5. suit — in cards
  6. current — of water
  7. suit — clothes
  8. band — a music group
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — electric
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — help
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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