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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 116 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: bat · club · object · bank · vault · shower · kid · mug

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — for money
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — to wash
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mug — a cup
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — an aim
  16. mug — a face
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — rain
  19. mug — to rob
  20. object — a thing
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — for baseball

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