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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — the season
  4. file — a tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bank — of a river
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — a country
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a dance
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — ground
  24. bank — for money

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