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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: rule · row · coach · bank · vault · bark · swing · mine

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rule — government
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bank — for money
  17. swing — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mine — for digging
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rule — a law
  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