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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: spring · roll · bank · kick · firm · band · vault · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bank — of a river
  5. firm — a company
  6. bank — for money
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — of water
  13. firm — decided
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kick — in football
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. roll — a list
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — the season
  24. firm — steady

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