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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 116 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: saw · sharp · lean · march · mine · bank

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — thin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. march — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month

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