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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: game · wake · snap · craft · spring · bank · chair · fork

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spring — of water
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. craft — boats
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. snap — to click

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