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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 · vault · fall · band · mug · face · game · craft

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. face — to point toward
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. game — wild animals
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a music group
  13. craft — a skill
  14. band — a ring
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bank — for money
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bank — for money
  21. fall — the season
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. face — to confront
  24. craft — boats

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