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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bank — of a river
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. vault — a safe
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — to come from
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bank — for money
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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