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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: wake · tear · mate · net · fine · hand · stand · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fine — all right
  9. tear — to rip
  10. net — after costs
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. net — for catching
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stand — on your feet

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