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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: bank · sharp · trunk · roll · wind · vault · bat · band

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. roll — a list
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a music group
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bank — for money
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bat — the animal

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