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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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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: saw · spring · season · snap · bank · track · rule · mine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — of the year
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — a song
  18. rule — a law
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — the season
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rule — government
  24. mine — for digging

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