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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: drill · kid · pop · spring · bank · ball · file · season

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spring — the season
  3. file — a document
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — child
  12. bank — for money
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. drill — army training
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — a practice

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