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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: fork · wave · deal · net · dip · bat · land · track

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fork — in a road
  8. dip — to sink
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. net — for catching
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. track — a song
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. track — a path
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. track — to keep track

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