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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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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 · land · object · roll · chest · firm · bank · kick

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. land — a country
  2. bank — for money
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — a safe
  5. object — a thing
  6. roll — a list
  7. firm — a company
  8. land — to come down
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — ground
  16. bank — of a river
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chest — a box
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. firm — decided
  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