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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: deal · bank · kid · fork · dip · band · fine · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — all right
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — to tease
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bank — of a river
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. band — a music group
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — child
  21. fork — in a road
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a ring

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