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

Word bank: bank · vault · field · tear · cue · cell

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cue — a hint
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bank — for money
  16. field — farmland
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — for sport

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