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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: scale · bank · bat · cold · shower · date · vault · craft

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. shower — rain
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — an illness
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — boats
  13. scale — size or range
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. scale — in music
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cold — not warm
  24. vault — a safe

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