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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: squash · mark · hand · bank · snap · net · plane · deal

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — of a river
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. net — in sport
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — help
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — for catching
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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