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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bank — for money
  7. rest — a break
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a song
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. track — a path
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a document
  19. track — to keep track
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — a jug

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