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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bank — for money
  10. shower — rain
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. pop — soda
  17. spell — magic
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a line of people
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spell — a short time

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