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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: kid · lash · vault · season · file · pitch · root · bank

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. root — of a word
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. file — a tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bank — for money
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. file — a line of people
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — a document

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