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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bank — for money
  4. current — electric
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — to get on
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. present — there
  12. spell — a short time
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. current — of water
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. present — the time now
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. spell — magic
  20. current — happening now
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. vault — a safe

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