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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.

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 · scale · leaves · game · snap · bank · plane · fork

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bank — for money
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bank — of a river
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — in music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — size or range
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. fork — in a road

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