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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — the tool
  5. file — a document
  6. roll — a cake
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — all right
  16. file — a line of people
  17. craft — boats
  18. deal — to handle
  19. file — a tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bank — for money
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. roll — a list

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