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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 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — of a river
  7. perch — the fish
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — to sink
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — shares
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — a list
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bank — for money

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