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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · vault · march · bank · band · last · chair · leaves

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a music group
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — final
  8. bank — for money
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — to go on
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rush — hurry
  22. last — finally
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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