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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bank — of a river
  4. vault — a safe
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — in sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — for money
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. coach — a trainer

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