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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: hand · rock · spell · wave · fork · land · net · fine

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spell — letters
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spell — magic
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. land — ground
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — for catching
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hand — help
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — music
  24. net — after costs

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