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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: cell · chest · bank · squash · vault · date

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bank — for money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — for money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — in biology
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bank — of a river
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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