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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. shower — to wash
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — letters
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — rain
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. file — a document
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spring — the season
  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