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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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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: drill · file · ball · plane · spring · racket · sharp · bank

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — the season
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. file — a document
  7. drill — army training
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a line of people
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — the tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ball — a great time
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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