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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: board · snap · date · lash · bank · spell · chest · row

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. board — a committee
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — letters
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chest — a box
  12. spell — a short time
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to click
  16. board — to get on
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. row — a line
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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