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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a music group
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — for money
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. band — a ring
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — the season

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