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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: row · wave · net · bank · bat · wake · squash · hand

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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. net — after costs
  4. bank — for money
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — help
  14. net — for catching
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. bank — for money

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