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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bank · cold · game · bowl · plane · row · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — of a river
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. row — a line
  10. game — wild animals
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. plane — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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