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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 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bank — for money
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — completely
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spring — of water
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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