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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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