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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 · snap · fork · tear · fine · wake · suit · bass

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. snap — to click
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — all right
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — in a road
  17. suit — clothes
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bass — the fish
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wake — a trail

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