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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: tear · wind · trunk · squash · bear · file · vault · bank

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — of a river
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a document
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — from crying

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