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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: staff · row · vault · bank · bay · date · spring · wound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — a safe
  17. row — a line
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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