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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 120 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: staff · fall · vault · bear · season · bank · kid · pitcher

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — for money
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. staff — employees
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — of a river
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pitcher — a jug

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