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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: pass · lie · bank · snap · vault · foot · band · cold

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. band — a music group
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a rubber band

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