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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: hand · snap · spring · roll · patient · bank · ground · bowl

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — a coil
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — of water
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — part of the body

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