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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: mine · last · snap · present · bank · spell · squash · row

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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. last — finally
  3. present — there
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — of a river
  9. squash — to crush
  10. last — to go on
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — magic
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — final
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — letters
  19. row — a line
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. present — the time now
  23. snap — to click
  24. mine — an explosive

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