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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: bank · vault · field · last · mine · nail · scale · toast

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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 — for money
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — finally
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — a subject
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bank — of a river
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — to go on
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — final
  14. toast — bread
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bank — for money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — size or range
  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