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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 120 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 · press · kid · race · club · march · bank · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. press — a publisher
  3. land — a country
  4. bank — for money
  5. race — the arms race
  6. march — the month
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — a contest
  12. land — ground
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. club — for golf
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. club — a group
  18. press — to push
  19. race — humankind
  20. march — music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bank — of a river
  24. club — for dancing

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