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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: ball · leaves · mine · bay · wind · snap · fine · bank

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bank — of a river
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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