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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 · clip · lash · bass · rash · land · chip · vault

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chip — to eat
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. clip — to cut
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — of a river
  18. land — ground
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — hasty
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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