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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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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: vault · rock · tear · coach · swing · bank · face · mine

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rock — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rock — a stone
  18. swing — to play on
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — of a river
  24. face — to confront

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