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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: scale · bank · lash · vault · row · cold · safe · press

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. vault — a safe
  3. press — a publisher
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. press — newspapers
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — in music
  24. press — to push

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