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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. file — a tool
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a document
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. last — to go on
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — a break
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — what's left

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