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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · bank · spring · vault · capital · scale · ball · plane

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — money
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — a safe
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — a coil
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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