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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: vault · row · bat · tear · file · jam · bank · sharp

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tear — from crying
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tear — to rip
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bank — of a river
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. vault — a safe
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. file — a document
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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