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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: hand · kid · toast · object · dip · saw · pass · bank

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bank — of a river
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. object — a thing
  18. bank — for money
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — help
  22. object — an aim
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — to tease

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