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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — the season
  4. shower — rain
  5. vault — a safe
  6. root — of a plant
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a word
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — the cause

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