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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — final
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — a safe
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. last — to go on
  16. stand — to bear
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — a phone
  19. last — finally
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bank — of a river
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cell — in biology

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