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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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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: snap · bear · bank · wake · mine · present · chair · swing

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. snap — to click
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — a trail
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — the animal

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