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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: bank · cell · snap · plane · file · net · cabinet · drill

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — a phone
  10. drill — a practice
  11. net — after costs
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bank — for money
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — for catching
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. file — a tool

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