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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spring — the season
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — to come down
  15. rush — hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. land — ground
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. land — a country

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