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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — letters
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a document
  12. toast — bread
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. degree — from a university
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. degree — temperature
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spell — a short time
  24. degree — an amount

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