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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: court · cap · chest · leaves · vault · lie · fan · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — of law
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chest — of your body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bank — of a river
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of a king

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