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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · date · bank · racket · tube · row · snap · sharp

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bank — of a river
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — clever
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tube — a container
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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