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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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Word bank
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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: bank · degree · season · kick · file · vault · roll · wake

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. file — a document
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — of the year
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bank — of a river
  9. degree — temperature
  10. vault — a safe
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. file — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. season — in sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — for money
  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