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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bank — for money
  3. plane — a tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — to eat
  9. field — a subject
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. chip — for betting
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — for digging
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. snap — to click

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