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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — a practice
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — army training
  7. bulb — for light
  8. file — a document
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bank — for money
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. field — farmland
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a line of people
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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