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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 · ruler · sharp · stick · row · lean · snap · wound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — thin
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. sharp — clever
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to bend
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to click
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — to rest against

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