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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 116 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: file · branch · shower · vault · rash · swing · rock · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rock — music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — in golf
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — final
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — rain
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — a division
  23. file — a document
  24. rock — to move gently

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