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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: bank · spring · tear · net · snap · degree · lash · nail

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bank — of a river
  24. snap — to click

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