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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: land · wake · kick · last · vault · bank · fine · fall

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — the season
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — of a river
  15. last — finally
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — to come down
  20. fine — all right
  21. last — final
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. land — ground
  24. bank — for money

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