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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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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. court — of law
  10. vault — a safe
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spring — the season
  17. can — a tin
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — to play on
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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