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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — of a river
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fall — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — the season
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a tool
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — low music
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — to drop

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