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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: net · snap · row · bat · wind · drill · wave · jam

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. drill — army training
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. drill — the tool
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. snap — to click
  19. drill — a practice
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — the animal
  24. jam — a tight spot

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