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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · spring · wind · rush · file · root · court · track

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — of a word
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — of a king
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — of water
  21. bank — for money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. track — a path

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