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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: mouse · rush · mine · court · march · bank · jam · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rush — hurry
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a document
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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