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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: wind · fall · bank · game · vault · straw · kid · toast

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — bread
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bank — for money
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. game — wild animals

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