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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — a song
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — army training
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a document

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