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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: press · coach · vault · bass · deal · bank · season · hand

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bank — for money
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. season — in sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. press — to push
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bass — low music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bank — of a river
  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