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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 116 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. file — a tool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — boats
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bank — for money
  18. dip — to sink
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. craft — a skill

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