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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: cue · tear · net · hand · trunk · saw · plane · deal

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. deal — to handle
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — to rip
  24. trunk — of a car

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