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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: file · snap · lean · march · fork · hand · safe · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the fish
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. file — a document
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to bend

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