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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 116 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: squash · mate · row · bark · vault · pitcher · bank · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bark — to shout
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — a line
  23. mate — a friend
  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