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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spell — a short time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. vault — a safe
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bank — for money
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spell — letters
  20. stem — to come from
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bank — for money
  24. lash — to lash out

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