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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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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: plane · stick · bound · fork · bank · saw · dip · cold

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. bank — for money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cold — not warm
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cold — an illness
  9. plane — a tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — tied together
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bound — certain
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bound — obliged
  23. dip — to sink
  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