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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: vault · tear · plane · bay · season · wound · bank · cold

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bank — for money
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bank — for money
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — in sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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