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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 120 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 · deal · nail · tear · race · hand · spring · wave

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — of water

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