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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a match
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. can — a tin
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — a tin

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