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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 120 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: court · bank · band · vault · racket · present · root · pass

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a ring
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. root — of a word
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. vault — a safe
  19. present — there
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. root — the cause
  22. court — of law
  23. present — the time now
  24. racket — for tennis

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