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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: snap · fork · net · bass · foot · mark · bark · saw

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — a measure
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — low music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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