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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: snap · spring · land · saw · chest · bay · can · fork

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — of water
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chest — a box
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. land — to come down
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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