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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — for money
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fall — the season
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — in sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a music group
  19. net — after costs
  20. vault — a safe
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bank — of a river
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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