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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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Word bank
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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 · rash · capital · coach · rush · rule · vault · track

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. rule — a law
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a city
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — a path
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — government
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. vault — a safe
  21. capital — money
  22. bank — for money
  23. rush — hurry
  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