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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · bank · bat · tube · pitcher · rest · mine · snap

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rest — a break
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. snap — to click
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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