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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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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: snap · bay · bank · mine · hand · saw · field · can

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bank — of a river
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. snap — to click
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — help
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — for sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a horse colour

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