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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: rule · vault · land · hand · bulb · club · present · bank

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — a group
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rule — government
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. club — for dancing
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. present — the time now
  24. bank — of a river

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