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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: dip · wind · wake · sharp · bank · wound · deal · vault

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wound — an injury

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