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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: pitcher · snap · cap · pit · bank · mine · march · wave

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cap — of ice
  24. march — the month

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