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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 120 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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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: spring · cold · file · present · safe · mark · vault · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a tool
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — a trace
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. vault — a safe
  12. file — a document
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. present — there
  18. file — a line of people
  19. present — the time now
  20. cold — an illness
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — a coil
  24. present — a gift

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