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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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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: track · firm · chest · fan · saw · bank · sharp · kid

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bank — for money
  3. firm — a company
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. firm — decided
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bank — of a river
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — a song
  19. chest — of your body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chest — a box
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kid — child
  24. fan — a supporter

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