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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: hand · file · band · bank · toast · chip · snap · stem

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chip — for betting
  9. toast — bread
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hand — help
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a document

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