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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: spell · mark · fall · pop · hand · saw · net · snap

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. pop — to visit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fall — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — a short time
  21. snap — to click
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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