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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 116 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: snap · rush · fork · kid · mug · bat · field · bank

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. kid — child
  10. mug — a cup
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mug — a face
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — farmland

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