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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 120 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 · march · file · last · bank · band · squash · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. firm — steady
  2. bank — for money
  3. last — final
  4. band — a ring
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. file — a document
  9. band — a music group
  10. firm — a company
  11. vault — a safe
  12. last — finally
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. last — to go on
  15. squash — the sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bank — for money
  23. firm — decided
  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