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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: bank · wind · ground · saw · date · roll · wound · fork

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. date — the fruit

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