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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: vault · stem · fine · squash · chair · bank · band · present

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. 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. band — a rubber band
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. present — a gift
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bank — of a river
  11. present — there
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — the time now
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bank — for money
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. vault — a safe
  24. 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