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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 · mark · bank · rash · wound · chest · roll · mate

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bank — for money
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mark — a trace
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. roll — a list
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rash — a series

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