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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 120 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: hand · snap · spring · suit · bank · bear · mine · tube

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tube — the underground
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — a container
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. snap — to click
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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