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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: tear · row · club · bound · bank · vault · field · date

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for dancing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — farmland
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. date — the fruit
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — to rip
  24. field — a subject

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