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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · bay · bank · wind · file · bulb · spring · drill

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a tool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — a coil
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — army training
  18. bank — of a river
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a document
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spring — the season
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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