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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 116 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: fall · press · rest · tube · wake · bound · vault · bank

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — to push
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bank — of a river
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bank — for money
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tube — a container

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