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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: craft · content · spring · bank · lean · present · chip · file

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bank — of a river
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — boats
  7. spring — the season
  8. content — happy
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. chip — for betting
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lean — thin
  20. file — a document
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — of water

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