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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: sharp · toast · bank · land · bass · snap · pitcher · drill

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — the tool
  21. toast — bread
  22. bass — low music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — ground

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