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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 120 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: pop · snap · fan · bank · band · chest · fork · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a ring
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. snap — to click
  16. pop — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a music group

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