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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: hand · lash · net · deal · wound · saw · fan · season

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — for catching
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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